Sports wagering based on player verses player matchups

ABSTRACT

A sports wagering contest having where contestants make player selections from one or more player match-ups set up by a contest operator, such as a gaming establishment, is disclosed. Player selections are deemed winning selections based on the points players within a match-up earn based on their performance in a game. A primary contest having one or more rounds and requiring an entry fee may be provided. Each round may comprise a set of player match-ups and a prize which is winnable based on the number of winning selections a contestant makes. A secondary or bonus contest may be provided for contestants who do well in the primary contest. The secondary contest may have one or more rounds and a larger prize. In one embodiment, the primary contest utilizes players from the regular season and the secondary contest uses players in the post season of a sport.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.60/962,222 entitled SPORTS WAGERING BASED ON PLAYER VERSES PLAYERMATCHUPS, filed Jul. 26, 2007.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to sports wagering and in particular to a methodand apparatus for wagering on player performance for match-ups betweentwo or more players.

2. Related Art

Sports wagering is a popular form of wagering in casinos and othersports betting books. Traditional sports wagering has revolved aroundwhich team will win an event, or the points spread differentialresulting from a sporting event.

While existing sports wagering opportunities are widely popular, somebettors have expressed a desire for different and unique wageringopportunities. In addition, other new bettors may be overwhelmed by thecomplexity of selecting a team to wager upon, given all the variablesassociated with team play and the point spread.

As a result, the prior art sports wagering opportunities have drawbackswhich are overcome by the sports wagering system described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method for a sports wagering contest is disclosed herein. In oneembodiment, the method comprises providing a primary contest having oneor more primary rounds. The one or more primary rounds may comprisesetting up one or more player match-ups by presenting at least twoplayers for comparison, presenting the one or more player match-ups toone or more contestants to allow the one or more contestants to make oneor more player selections, receiving the one or more player selectionsfrom the one or more contestants, determining which of the one or moreplayer selections are winning player selections based on theachievements of the at least two players, ranking the one or morecontestants from highest to lowest based on the number of winning playerselections received from the one or more contestants during at least oneof the one or more rounds, and awarding a prize to one or more of theone or more contestants having a highest ranking in the at least one ofthe one or more rounds. In one embodiment, the primary contest furthercomprises an end of contest prize which may be awarded to one or more ofthe one or more contestants having the highest total number of winningplayer selections at the end of the primary contest.

The method may include providing a secondary or bonus contest.Generally, contestants must be qualified for the secondary contest inorder to participate in the secondary contest. The secondary contest mayhave one or more secondary rounds which comprise setting up one or moreplayer match-ups by presenting at least two players for comparison,presenting the one or more player match-ups to one or more contestantsto allow the one or more contestants to make one or more playerselections, receiving the one or more player selections from the one ormore contestants, and determining which of the one or more playerselections are winning player selections based on the achievements ofthe at least two players. To determine winning contestants, thesecondary contest includes ranking the one or more of the one or morecontestants in the secondary contest from highest to lowest based on thenumber of winning player selections received from the one or morecontestants during the secondary contest. A secondary contest prize maybe awarded to one or more of the one or more contestants having ahighest ranking in the secondary contest. In one embodiment, thesecondary contest the secondary contest prize may be aggregated amongone or more of the one or more contestants having the highest ranking inthe secondary contest prior to awarding the secondary contest prize.

An entry fee from the one or more contestants may be collected in someembodiments before the one or more contestants are allowed to enter theprimary contest. In addition, player match-ups may be set up in variousways. For example, the one or more player match-ups are set up by agaming establishment without a draft. The one or more player match-upsin the one or more primary rounds may also be set up using one or moreplayers from the regular season of a sport. Further, the one or moreplayer match-ups in the one or more secondary rounds may be set up usingone or more players from the post season of a sport. It is noted thatthe one or more player match-ups may be presented on one or more contestcards in one or more embodiments.

In another embodiment, the method for a sports wagering contestcomprises collecting an entry fee from one or more contestants to allowthe one or more contestants to participate in the sports wageringcontest, and providing one or more rounds. The one or more rounds maycomprise setting up one or more player match-ups by presenting at leasttwo players from one or more upcoming sporting events for comparison,presenting the one or more player match-ups to the one or morecontestants to allow the one or more contestants to make one or moreplayer selections, receiving the one or more player selections from theone or more contestants, determining which of the one or more playerselections are winning player selections based on the achievements ofthe at least two players, ranking the one or more contestants fromhighest to lowest based on the number of winning player selectionsreceived from the one or more contestants during at least one of the oneor more rounds, and awarding a prize to one or more of the one or morecontestants having achieved a highest ranking in at least one of the oneor more rounds.

As with above, an end of contest prize may be awarded to one or more ofthe one or more contestants having the highest total number of winningplayer selections at the end of the sports wagering contest, and the oneor more player selections may be received on the one or more contestcards. In addition, the one or more upcoming sporting events may be oneor more regular season football games.

In this embodiment a winning contestant or contestants may be determinedby ranking the one or more contestants from highest to lowest based onthe number of winning player selections they have made with the one ormore contestants having more winning player selections being rankedhigher than the one or more contestants having less winning playerselections.

In another embodiment, the method for a sports wagering secondarycontest comprises qualifying one or more contestants for the secondarycontest, and providing one or more rounds. The one or more contestantsmay be qualified for the secondary contest by winning at least one roundof a primary contest. Alternatively, the one or more contestants may bequalified for the secondary contest if the one or more contestants havea primary contest ranking of at least a predetermined rank, and if theone or more contestants have not won any rounds of the primary contest.

The one or more rounds may comprise setting up one or more playermatch-ups by presenting at least two players from one or more upcomingsporting events for comparison, presenting the one or more playermatch-ups to the one or more contestants to allow the one or morecontestants to make one or more player selections, receiving the one ormore player selections from the one or more contestants, and determiningwhich of the one or more player selections are winning player selectionsbased on the achievements of the at least two players.

In this embodiment, a winning contestant or contestants may bedetermined by ranking the one or more contestants from highest to lowestbased on the number of winning player selections received from the oneor more contestants during the secondary contest. A prize may then beawarded to one or more of the one or more contestants having achieved ahighest ranking in the secondary contest.

As with above, the one or more upcoming sporting events may be one ormore post season football games, and the one or more player selectionsare received on the one or more contest cards. In addition, the prizemay be aggregated among the one or more of the one or more contestantshaving achieved the highest ranking in the secondary contest prior toawarding the prize. Also, the one or more contestants may be ranked fromhighest to lowest based on the number of winning player selections theyhave made with the one or more contestants having more winning playerselections being ranked higher than the one or more contestants havingless winning player selections.

Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will beor will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination ofthe following figures and detailed description. It is intended that allsuch additional systems, methods, features and advantages be includedwithin this description, be within the scope of the invention, and beprotected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasisinstead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the different views.

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a contest card according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a contest according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a secondary contest according toan embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a more thorough description of the present invention.It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known features have not been described in detailso as not to obscure the invention.

To overcome the drawbacks of the prior art and to provide additionalbenefits, a sports wagering system is disclosed wherein a bettor maywager on the compared performance of two or more players of a sport orany aspect of their performance. The sports wagering system includesvarious embodiments where a contestant may win a contest or roundthereof based on the compared performance of two or more players of asport or any aspect of their performance. It is contemplated that afterreading this disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art may generateother contest methods and wagering opportunities that are based on thisdisclosure.

In one embodiment, the bettor has the opportunity to place a wager basedon the performance of a player in relation to the performance of otherplayers. In a contest embodiment, the contestant tries to select awinning player or players as determined by their relative performance.As described further below, player's performance generally comprises anyaspect of player achievements during play of the sporting contest. Oneor more aspects of player performance (i.e. achievements) are assignedpoints and the point value for each player is compared to determinewhich of the two or more players in a head to head match up is a winner.As such, the player with highest point score is the winner. If acontestant selected the winning player, then that selection is deemed awinning selection. Multiple selections may be. Contestants with the mostor a pre-determined number of winning selections or points may beprovided awards.

As used herein, the term player match-up may be defined as a match-up oftwo individual players or two groups of players. Typically, a playermatch-up will list two individual players for head to head comparisonhowever. The players or player groups may be on the same team ordifferent teams. In either instance, the contestant selections may bebased on which player or which group of players, will have the most orgreatest achievements. Achievements are discussed in more detail below.For example, it is contemplated that more than two players or more thantwo groups of players may be in a match-up, such that the contestantwagers which player or group out of three or four (or any number)obtains the best, worst, or closest to a predetermined number ofachievements.

It is also contemplated that various player groups may be wagered uponor part of a contest, such as for example and not limitation, infootball, a backfield group of players (running backs) or a receivergroup form a player group. Likewise, in other sports player groups maycomprise the group of players playing the center position in basketball,or in baseball, the player group may be defined as the pictures or theoutfield players. This player group would then be matched against andcompared to another player group, such as from a different team. Thebettor or contestant can select which player group will perform the bestor achieve the greatest number of achievements. A wager may be placed onthe bettor's selections if desired.

As can be appreciated, the achievements for which players may earnpoints depend on the sporting event. In the exemplary sport of football,the achievement may comprise yards rushed, yards passed, points, kicksresulting in points, kick or punt distance, run-back yardage, catches,yards from passing, yards from reception, touchdowns, field goals,touchbacks, sacks, penalties, first downs, interceptions, tackles, orany other parameter of play. In another exemplary sport, such asbasketball, players may compete based on performance where theachievements are points, free throws points, assists, fouls, blockedshots, steals, dunks, or any other aspect of achievement in basketball.

As can be appreciated, these principles may be applied to other sportswhen the achievements are player based. It is further contemplated thatthe performance may be based on a combination of achievements, such aspoints and yards rushed, or assists and points. Achievements may beweighted in any manner to achieve a combined point score based onpre-determined point assignment plan. For example, a touch down could beassigned two points for the player, while a field goal may be assignedone point. Alternatively, a run in excess of 10 yards may be assigned 3points in addition to a point for each yard gained. Any combination maybe established as a possible player selection and used in comparison toperformance of other players.

It is further contemplated that points may be assigned to winningcontestants on a per match-up basis, or based on numerous match-upselections. The correct selections by a contestant may be awardedpoints, and these points may be combined to form a point total.Contestants with the most points may win the contest. In addition, thecompetition may run for a week period, on a per game basis, over thecourse of sporting season, pre-season, post season, or any other timeframe. Awards may be funded by the casino or book, or funded by onwagers, such as a percentage of wagers. Payouts may be fixed, or basedon a pay table, or dependant on the total wagers placed by bettors ortotal entry fees paid by contestants. In addition, prior winners,contestants or bettors having earned sufficient points or awards, orcontestants having selected the most winning selections, may be enteredinto a secondary drawing, bonus round, or secondary competition foradditional awards.

It is contemplated that the invention may be presented and played viaparlay cards in one or more embodiments. These parlay cards allowbettors to pick who will have the most achievements out of severalgroups of players, providing another way for sports fans to wager onsporting events.

A sports wagering system computer may be provided by the casino orsports book such that the wagering system computer is utilized by thecasino or book to enter player selections and data. The wagering systemcomputer may comprise any type computing device or system and mayinclude user input and output interfaces. The wagering system computermay interface with a server or computer network to exchange data betweenremote locations. A card reader or other input device may be provided tofacilitate reading or player selections. A ticket printer may be part ofthe wagering system computer to provide hardcopy output to contestantsindicating their selections and wager amount. An example card, which maybe read by such a reader is described below.

As stated, the invention may be a contest in one or more embodiments. Aswill be described further below, the contest will typically be betweenthe contestants to achieve the highest number of points through theirplayer selections to win one or more prizes, rather than betweencontestants and a gaming establishment as would generally be the case ofa wagering embodiment of the invention.

It is contemplated that the contest may be played by contestants at agaming establishment. One typical embodiment of the invention may be afootball contest. Some football embodiments will be referred torepeatedly further below, however, it is noted that these are but someof the embodiments of the invention as disclosed herein. For example,the invention may utilize various other sports, contest cards,achievements, and player match-ups in its various embodiments.

Generally, the prize for winning or being highly ranked in the contestwill be money. Of course, other items, goods, services, or a combinationthereof may be used as a prize. There may be more than one prize aswell, such as for example, in the case of a tie or for the top 5, 10, orother number of contestants. Offering more than one prize isadvantageous in that more winning opportunities are provided whichencourage contestants to play as well as pay their entry fee.

Various embodiments of a contest will now be described with regard tothe figures. FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a contest card104 upon which a contestant may make his or her player selections 116.The contest card 104 shown illustrates a contest card for a footballembodiment of the invention. It can be seen however that players ofother sports may be included as one or more player match-ups 108 inother embodiments.

In one or more embodiments, the contest card 104 comprises a pluralityof player identifiers 112, at least one contestant identification box120, and a plurality of player selection boxes 116. A contest card 104may also provide one or more match-up identifiers 128 which identifywhich game or day one or more of its player match-ups 108 are for. Inaddition, contest information 132, such as the time contest cards 104must be turned in (i.e. contest closing time), or contest instructions,prize amounts, and other notifications may be printed on the contestcard 104 in some embodiments.

A contestant identification box 120 will typically be used to allow acontestant to enter his or her contestant identifier. As describedbelow, the contestant identifier identifies the contestant for purposesof the contest and for payment of prizes. It is noted that thoughdescribed as a box, the contestant identification box 120 may be anyshape or area on the contest card 104 which allows a contestant toenter, write, or otherwise record their contestant identifier. In theembodiment of FIG. 1, the contestant identification boxes 120 allowentry of the contestant's name as well as an alphanumeric or numericcode which uniquely identifies the contestant. As shown, a combinationof write in and fill in the bubble contestant identification boxes 120are provided. It is noted that contest cards 104 may include one or moretypes and one or more combinations of write in, fill in, or other areasas desired.

The player identifiers 112 are used to identify players in an upcominggame so that they may be selected by a contestant. Generally, playeridentifiers 112 will comprise the names of the players however; otherinformation may be used as well. For example, a player's position may bepart of the player identifier 112 as well to allow the contestant toreadily determine the player's position and, consequently, theachievements the player must make to obtain points. The team the playerplays for, the player's number, or both may also be included in theplayer identifier 112 to accurately identify the player to thecontestants. This is advantageous in that contestants can easilyidentify a player from the player identifier 112 and make an accurateselection even where players have the same or similar names orpositions.

In one or more embodiments, player selections may be made by identifyingthe player that the contestant believes will obtain the most points in aplayer match-up 108. At least one player selection box 116 may beprovided on a contest card 104 to allow contestants to identify theirselected players. It is noted that though described as a box, any areaon the contest card 104 provided to accept contestant selections may bea player selection box. In FIG. 1, the player selection boxes 116 arecircular fill-in bubbles. It is contemplated that each player selectionbox 116 may be associated with a player, and thus marking or filling ina player selection box 116 associated with a player selects that player.It is also contemplated that a player selection box 116 may be used toselect multiple players, such as for example, a player selection boxwhich provides an area for contestants to write in their selections.Typically, each player selection box 116 will be associated with asingle player so that players may be selected by marking or filing inthe desired player selection box 116. In this manner, player selectionsmay be quickly and accurately made on and collected by a contest card104.

In one embodiment, an alphanumeric code may be part of the playeridentifier 112 and used to make player selections. In this manner, acontestant may select a player by the player's alphanumeric code. Forexample, in FIG. 1, the player identifiers 112 include alphanumericcodes and the contest card 104 has player selection boxes 116corresponding to these alphanumeric codes. Using the contest card 104, acontestant may select a player by marking or filling in the playerselection box 116 having the same alphanumeric code as the player thecontestant desires to select.

FIG. 1 also illustrates an example set of 12 player match-ups 108. Ofcourse, more or less player match-ups 108 may be used in one or moreembodiments. Player match-ups 108 may be presented in rows with each rowbeing an individual player match-up. It is noted that, player match-ups108 may be presented in any format, such as in columns or tables.

In some embodiments, such as the embodiment of FIG. 1, only playersplaying the same position may be matched up. It is contemplated thatplayers of different positions or roles may be matched-up, if desired.In addition, it is contemplated that an individual player may bematched-up with a plurality of players on a single contest card 104 insome embodiments. However, player match-ups 108 using players that areplaying the same position are desirable because player achievements willbe the same and thus easy to compare.

For instance, in some sports, events which qualify as achievements maydiffer depending on a player's position or role on a team. In a footballembodiment for example, completions and passing yards may beachievements for quarterbacks while field goals made and extra pointsmade may be achievements for kickers. It is contemplated thatachievements may different for defensive players than for offensiveplayers as well.

Achievements may also be the same for all players in a sport regardlessof their position. For example, in a basketball embodiment, field goals,foul shots made, blocks, assists, etc. . . . may be achievements for anyplayer regardless of whether the player is playing at guard, forward,center, or any other position. This is advantageous in that it allowsthe wagering system to be used with a wide variety of sports includingsports where player achievements are uniform or where playerachievements are different depending on the position the player isplaying.

It is contemplated that achievements may also be specifically definedfor a particular player match-up 108 as well. For example, thequarterbacks matched-up in FIG. 1 may only be given points for theirtouchdown passes. In a basketball embodiment, players in a match-up mayonly be given points for their rebounds. Where achievements have beenspecifically defined contestants may be notified on the contest card 104or by other methods (e.g. posted signs and instructions) prior to makingtheir player selections 116.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the method of theinvention. At a step 204, an entry fee is collected to enter acontestant into the contest. In one or more embodiments, the entry feemay be $10.00, $25.00, $30.00. Of course any other amount may be used.It is contemplated that the entry fee may be waived for some people,such as for example, slot club or players club members at the gamingestablishment offering the contest.

The entry fee may be collected any time before the contest begins.However, the invention provides the advantage of allowing people toenter the contest (with payment of an entry fee) after the contest hasbegun. For example, in a football embodiment, a person may be allowed toenter the contest at any time during the regular season. As will bedescribed further below, the contestant selects players from assignedplayer match-ups for each round of the contest. Thus, unlike fantasyfootball or other fantasy type games where a contestant must take partin a draft prior to the contest, the invention herein allows people toenter the contest at any time.

Typically payment of a single entry fee allows a contestant to have asingle entry in the contest. It is contemplated that a contestant maypay multiple entry fees to obtain multiple entries. In fact, a singlecontestant may have as many entries as he or she desires as long as thecontestant pays the required entry fee for the entries. In one or moreembodiments, the entry fee may be lowered if the contestant purchasesmore than one entry. For example, the contest may provide a free entrywith the purchase of two or more entries. The contest may also providespecials. For example, contestants who purchase one or more entriesbefore a certain date or time may be given one or more free entries, ormay be given a special low price on entries.

In one embodiment, the number of entries for a single contestant will belimited. For example, a single contestant may only be allowed 3 entries.This is advantageous in that the limited number of entries preventscontestants from purchasing enough entries to ensure that they win bychoosing most or all the variations of player selections. This promotesfairness in the contest which encourages individual contestants to enterthe contest. Contestants found to have an unauthorized number of entriesmay be declared ineligible and not entitled to any prize or a refund forany and all of his or her entries.

In one or more embodiments, each entry allows a contestant to makeplayer selections for the duration of the contest without payment of anadditional entry fee. For example, in these embodiments, after paying asingle entry fee, a contestant would be allowed to make selections foreach round of the contest until the contest ends. However, in someembodiments, an entry fee may be required before each round of thecontest. As described further below, a round of the contest may bedefined by a set of player match-ups for a set of upcoming games.

Contestant information will typically be collected along with the entryfee in order to identify individual contestants during the contest andfor prize payments. Contestant information may be any informationcapable of identifying a contestant such as but not limited to, a SocialSecurity Number or portion thereof, drivers license, state ID, militaryID, or passport. It is noted that contestants must present thisinformation again for verification before a prize may be collected bythe contestant.

At a step 208, a contestant identifier is given to the contestant. Thecontestant identifier may be any information capable of identifying aparticular contestant. In one embodiment, the contestant identifier isan alphanumeric or numeric code associated with the contestantinformation. This association may be done electronically or manually.For example, the contestant's name and driver's license number may berecorded along with a unique contestant identifier on paper or in adatabase. Once associated with the contestant information, thecontestant identifier may be used to identify the contestant during andafter the contest. This is advantageous because contestant rankings,winnings, and other information may be posted or published with thecontestant identifier which keeps the contestant's true identityprivate.

It is noted that if more than one entry is purchased, the contestant maybe given a contestant identifier for each entry. Where there is a limitto the number of entries per contestant, the number of contestantidentifiers associated with a particular contestant's information may bechecked prior to issuing an entry or customer identifier to ensure thatthe contestant does not obtain more than the allowed number of entries.

Once one or more contestants have entered, the contest may begin. At astep 212 player match-ups are set up by the gaming establishment. Asdescribed herein, a gaming establishment operates the contest, however,it is noted that other organizations or even individuals may operate thecontest in one or more embodiments. Generally, player match-ups are setup by the gaming establishment choosing two players from an upcominggame for head to head or player versus player comparison of theirachievements in one or more upcoming games.

As described above, a player match-up may comprise only players that areplaying the same position, or may comprise players at differentpositions. As shown in FIG. 1, a set of player match-ups 108 may be setup by a gaming establishment to include players from various teams andplayers playing various positions. A contestant may then make a playerselection for each player match-up 108. It is noted that this isdistinct from fantasy type games in that player match-ups are set upduring the contest and without a draft. In addition, a single player maybe listed in one or more match-ups on a single contest card. Each playermatch-up will typically list or indicate two individual players forcomparison.

In a contest embodiment, it is desirable that the players in the playermatch-ups are competitive as far their ability to score points throughachievements in a game (i.e. evenly matched). This makes it moredifficult to easily determine the winner of a player match-up which isadvantageous in that contestants will want to play for the challenge ofselecting the winning player. This is also advantageous becausechallenging match-ups will make it more difficult for contestants toqualify for a secondary or bonus post-season contest. Thus, in one ormore embodiments, player match-ups may be set up based on pastachievements of players such that a player match-up is comprised of twoevenly or closely matched players.

Though even or close match-ups are desirable, it is noted that not everymatch-up must be comprised of evenly or closely matched playersaccording to the invention. In fact, other criteria for setting upplayer match-ups may be included as well. For example, match-upscomprising well known or famous players may be set up. These match-upsare advantageous because contestants are more likely to know theabilities of well known players and because, upon seeing a recognizablematch-up new contestants may be enticed to enter the contest.

It is specifically contemplated that the match-ups set up for thecontest embodiment of the invention be designed to make the contestinteresting, challenging, and fun for contestants. In one configuration,the gaming establishment's profits depend on the number of entry feespaid, thus it is desirable to make the contest as entertaining aspossible to entice additional contestants to enter the contest.

It is contemplated that players in different leagues or sports may besubstituted during the contest if desired or necessary. For instance, ifa disruption or cancellation to certain games occurs, players fromdifferent leagues or sports may be used in one or more rounds of thecontest. For example, collegiate players may be used in one or morerounds of the contest. It is contemplated that such substitutions willtypically occur only where necessary such as in the case that there arenot enough players to set up the required number of player match-ups tocontinue the contest. Of course, substitutions may occur at any time asdesired by the gaming establishment or contest operator. This may createenticing player match-ups. For example, players in collegiate, arenafootball, and NFL players may be matched-up in one or more rounds of acontest.

One or more player match-ups may be set up and made available tocontestants such as on a contest card to allow the contestants to maketheir selections. The player match-ups may be set up anytime before oneor more games. Typically, however, the player match-ups will be set upat a time which gives contestants time to make their selections. Forexample, player match-ups for one or more upcoming games may be madeavailable on a contest card one or more days or weeks prior to theearliest of the one or more upcoming games. To illustrate, in a footballembodiment, contest cards with player match-ups from Sunday and Mondaygames may be made available on the preceding Thursday. Other timeperiods may be used as well.

It is contemplated that if one or more players in a player match-up donot play in the upcoming game, that match-up may be eliminated or notcounted for that round of the contest. Alternatively, a point (ormultiple points if desired) may be given to each contestant or eachplayer in the match-up may be deemed a winner where one or more playersin a player match-up do not play. This ensures that the contest is fairto contestants that select a player who does not play. As is known,players may not play for various reasons including illness or injury. Inone or more embodiments, a player “plays” in a game as soon as theplayer is in a timed portion of the game. For example, a football playerplays in a game once he or she goes on the field during play of thegame.

At a step 216, contestant selections are received by the gamingestablishment. This may occur by the contestant making his orselections, and turning in or submitting the contest card to the gamingestablishment. A contestant may make player selections by indicating theindividual player for each player match-up which the contestant believeswill be the winning player. The selections may be made and turned in(i.e. received by the gaming establishment) on a contest card. Thegaming establishment may require that the contestant include his or hercontestant identifier on the contest card. It is contemplated thatcontest cards may be provided to contestants with their contestantidentifier printed thereon in one or more embodiments. Of course,contestants would have to present their customer information prior toreceiving such a contest card to prevent contest cards from being issuedincorrectly.

In one or more embodiments, contest cards with contestant selectionsmust be received before any of the one or more games begin. Otherdeadlines may be used as well. For example, in one embodiment, contestcards may be accepted as long as no player in a player match-up thereonhas played even though the game may have already started. In thefootball embodiment described above, contest cards made available onThursday may be required to be turned in by Sunday at 10:00 AM.

Though contest cards will typically be used, other ways of receivingcontestant selections may be used with the invention. For example,selections may be collected by phone, fax, email, or through theinternet in one or more embodiments. Contestants may be assigned apassword to verify their identity in these embodiments. It is noted thatcontest cards are advantageous in that they required contestants toenter a gaming establishment to pickup and return the cards. Thecontestants may then spend money on goods, services, or other gamingwhile in the establishment.

After the one or more games are played, at a step 220, players areassigned points associated with any achievements the players make duringthe one or more games to determine the winning players. For each playermatch-up, the winning player may be the one having the most points. Ofcourse, the winning player may be defined according to other criteria.For example, the winning player may be the player having the lowestnumber of points or be the player closest to or having a predeterminednumber of points. In the case of a tie, the match-up may be ignored,both players may be deemed winners, or the contestants may be given apoint (or other number of points) regardless of which player wasselected by the contestants.

The following illustrates how player achievements may be defined andused to assign points to a player according to a football embodiment ofthe invention. These points may be added together to determine aplayer's total points and to ultimately determine which players arewinners in their respective player match-ups. It is noted again thatachievements and their associated points may be defined in various waysas desired by the gaming establishment or contest operator.

In one embodiment, the points for running backs may be counted by takingthe sum of: TOTAL RUSHING YARDS FROM SCRIMMAGE+RECEIVING YARDS+NUMBER OFRECEPTIONS+TOUCHDOWNS SCORED (6 PTS)+TOUCHDOWNS THROWN (6 PTS). Notethat, passing yards, number of thrown completions, kick/punt returntouchdowns and yards may or may not be defined as achievements (i.e. nopoints will be given) for running backs.

In one embodiment, the points for receivers may be counted by taking thesum of: TOTAL RECEIVING YARDS+RUSHING YARDS FROM SCRIMMAGE+NUMBER OFRECEPTIONS+TOUCHDOWNS SCORED (6 PTS)+TOUCHDOWNS THROWN (6 PTS). Notethat, passing yards, number of thrown completions, kick/punt returntouchdowns and yards may or may not be defined as achievements forreceivers.

In one embodiment, the points for kickers may be counted by taking thesum of: TOTAL YARDS OF MADE FIELD GOALS+FG'S MADE (3 PTS)+EXTRA POINTMADE (1 PT)+TOUCH DOWN SCORED (6 PTS)+TOUCH DOWN THROWN (6 PTS). Notethat, passing yards, rushing yards, special team yards, number of throwncompletions or receptions may or may not be defined as achievements forkickers.

In one embodiment, the points for quarterbacks may be counted by takingthe sum of: TOTAL GROSS PASSING YARDS+NUMBER OF COMPLETIONS+TOUCH DOWNSSCORED (6 PTS)+TOUCH DOWNS THROWN (6 PTS). Note that, the number ofreceptions, receiving yards, or rushing yards may or may not be definedas achievements for quarterbacks.

At a step 222, points may be assigned to contestants based on the numberof winning selections they have made. For example, one point may beassigned for each winning selection. Of course other point values may beassigned. It is contemplated that some player match-ups such aschallenging (i.e. difficult to predict) match-ups or match-upscomprising well known players may be assigned different or higher pointvalues. It is noted that assigning points is not required in allembodiments because contestants, as will be described below, may beranked according to the number of winning selections they have made,rather than the number of points they accumulate.

At a step 224, each properly submitted contest card is then evaluatedand ranked from highest to lowest, based on the number of points thecontestant has earned. It is noted that the rankings may be based on thenumber of winning players selected (i.e. winning player selections) inembodiments that do not assign points to contestants. For example,contest cards may be ranked from the most winning players selected tothe least winning players selected, with cards having the most winningplayers being the highest. Of course, contest cards may be ranked fromhighest to lowest in various other ways including from least to mostwinning players selected, or from closest to furthest (and vice versa)from a predetermined number of winning players.

In some embodiments, contestants may be given one or more points foreach winning player selection. In these embodiments, the contestants maybe ranked according to the number of points they earn. Generally, onepoint will be given for each winning selection and thus rankingcontestants according to points will typically result in the samerankings as above. However, it is contemplated that certain playermatch-ups may be given two or more points as desired by the gamingestablishment. This is advantage in that contestants may be givenadditional points for making winning selections in difficult match-ups.

At a step 228, one or more of the highest ranking contestants may bepaid or awarded a prize. Generally, only a limited number of rankingswill be awarded a prize. For example, in one embodiment only the highestranked contestants (e.g. contestants with the most winning playersselected per contest card) will be paid. Of course, it is contemplatedthat prizes may be paid to one or more of the lower ranked contestantsas well. For example, in one embodiment, the first three (or othernumber) highest ranked contestants will be paid a prize. It iscontemplated that all contestants sharing a particular rank may sharethe prize for that particular rank. For example, a first place prize of$5,000 may be divided between all contestants sharing the first placerank. A prize will typically be divided equally; however, unequaldivisions may be used as well.

As stated above, the contest may have a plurality of rounds. A round ofthe contest is generally defined by a beginning and an end. Thebeginning of a round may occur when contestants are given the playermatch-ups, such as on a contest card. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, thisoccurs at step 212. The end of a round may occur after the games havebeen played and the contestants have been awarded prizes based on theirranking. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, this occurs at step 228.

A round may take place each week during the contest. For example, if thecontest is to run for the regular season of a sport, there may be around for each week of the regular season. Of course other time periodsmay define a round as well. It is contemplated that any time period maybe used as a round so long as sufficient time is given to set up playermatch-ups and allow contestants to make their selections.

At a step 232, it is determined whether or not the contest is over. Thismay occur in various ways. If, for example, the contest is associatedwith the regular season, the contest would be over after the last gameor games of the regular season. Of course, the end of the contest may bearbitrarily defined. For example, the contest may end after apredetermined time period such as a number of days, weeks, months, orother time. The contest may also end after a predetermined number ofrounds if desired.

If the contest is not over, then another round may begin at step 212. Ifthe contest is over, an end of contest prize may be awarded to one ormore contestants at a step 236. It is noted that the end of contestprize is not required in all embodiments. In one embodiment, the end ofcontest prize is awarded to the contestant with the highest total numberof points (or winning player selections) for the contest. If two or morecontestants have tied for the highest number of points then the end ofcontest prize may be divided among these contestants. Typically, the endof contest prize will be divided equally; however, other divisions maybe used as well.

The end of contest prize may be awarded based on other criteria as well.For example, the contestant having won the most rounds during thecontest may be awarded the end of contest prize. Alternatively, thecontestant with the highest number of points in a round may be awardedthe prize. In addition, the contestant with the highest number of pointswho has not won a round may be awarded the prize. In one embodiment, theend of contest prize may be $5,000, $7,500, $10,000 or any other amount.

As stated, a secondary competition may be provided in one or moreembodiments. In a contest embodiment of the invention, this may be asecondary contest. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodimentof the method of the invention with regard to a secondary contest. It isnoted that the secondary contest will typically be a bonus or playoffcontest where the prizes are larger than in the primary contest. In oneor more embodiments, the primary contest may be associated with theregular season, while the secondary contest may be associated with thepost season of a sport and use games played therein to set up playermatch-ups.

As will be described further below, winning contestants will typicallynot be awarded prizes for each round of the secondary contest. In one ormore embodiments, contestants will be awarded prizes at the end of thesecondary contest based on the number of winning selections that theyhave made or points that have accumulated during the secondary contest.Of course, in some embodiments, contestants may be awarded prizes forwinning one or more rounds of the secondary contest, such as describedabove with regard to the primary contest.

At a step 304, contestants are qualified for (i.e. given entry to) thesecondary contest. In one or more embodiments, the contestant'sperformance in the earlier or primary contest may be used to qualify thecontestant for the secondary contest. For example, entry to thesecondary contest may be granted to contestants who win at least oneround of the primary contest. Entry to the secondary contest may also begranted to contestants according to the number of points the collectedduring the primary contest through correct selections. In oneembodiment, the top 5, 10, 20, 50, or other number of contestants inpoints may be granted entry to the secondary contest. In someembodiments a combination of top point scorers and primary contestwinners are qualified for the secondary contest. For example, allcontestants that won at least one round of the primary contest, and thetop 50 (or other number of) contestants in points that did not win around of the primary contest may be qualified for the secondary contest.

These contestants will not typically be required to pay an additionalentry fee for the secondary contest; however, one may be collected ifdesired. In addition, it is contemplated that in some embodiments anyperson may buy entry into the secondary contest by paying an entry feefor the secondary contest. This entry fee may be higher than the entryfee for the preceding contest because the awards of the secondarycontest will generally be higher. A buy in may not be desired in allembodiments because a buy in allows anyone to enter the secondarycontest which reduces the contest's exclusivity as well as its appeal tocontestants who have earned an entry through their earlier selections.

At a step 308, player match-ups are set up and contest cards areprovided for the secondary contest. Player match-ups may be set up asdescribed above with regard to step 212 of FIG. 2; however, thesecondary contest will typically utilize post season games to createplayer match-ups. In a football embodiment, the secondary contest mayuse Saturday and Sunday playoff games to create player match-ups. Thus,in one or more embodiments, the secondary contest may be analogous tothe playoffs or finals for a sporting event. Contestants qualify for thesecondary contest based on their past performance much like teamsqualify for the post-season based on their performance in the regularseason. These similarities allow the secondary contest to benefit fromthe excitement of post-season games. This is advantageous in that itprovides an incentive for contestants to enter the earlier contest.

At a step 312, contestant selections may be received by the gamingestablishment prior to the start of any of the upcoming games. This mayoccur by the contestant submitting a contest card. After the games havebeen played, points are assigned to players based on their achievementsat a step 316. Points may be assigned as described with regard to step220 of FIG. 2. It is contemplated that achievements may be differentfrom the achievements for the primary contest if desired.

Similar to the primary contest, a round of the secondary contestcomprises a beginning and an end. The beginning of a round may occurwhen contestants are given the player match-ups, such as on a contestcard. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, this occurs at step 308. The end of around may occur after the games have been played and the contestantshave been assigned points according to player achievements andcontestant selections. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, this is shown asstep 316.

One or more rounds of the secondary contest may occur prior todetermining the winning contestant(s) of the secondary contest. Similarto the primary contest, rounds may take place each week or other timeperiod during the post season. Rounds may also take place according tothe elimination rounds of the post season schedule. For example, roundsmay take place for the first round, second round, semi-finals, andfinals of a sport. In a football embodiment, a round may take place forthe wild card round, divisional round, conference championship, andsuper bowl. Rounds do not have to be associated with each eliminationround of the post season. For example, in a football embodiment, thesecondary contest may feature only rounds leading up to an including theconference championship. This is advantageous in that, as teams areeliminated from the post season the number of players available formatch-ups is reduced, and thus there may be an insufficient number ofplayers to set up desirable match-ups as the post season progresses.

At a step 320, it is determined whether or not the secondary contest isover. As discussed above with regard to the primary contest, the end ofthe secondary contest may be defined by a predetermined number ofrounds, days, weeks, months, or other time periods. In addition, thesecondary contest may be associated with the post season of a sport andthus would end with the end of the post season. As discussed above withregard to the secondary contest's rounds, it is contemplated that thesecondary contest may end before the end of a sport's post seasonbecause there may be an insufficient number of players as teams areeliminated in the post season. For example, in a football embodiment,the end of the secondary contest may occur after the conferencechampionship.

If the secondary contest is not over, another round may begin at step308. If the secondary contest is over, then at a step 324 thecontestants may be ranked based on the number of winning selections theyhave made such as described above with regard to step 224 of FIG. 2. Inone embodiment, contestants may be ranked from the highest number ofwinning selections to the lowest number of winning selections.Contestants may be ranked by the points they have earned as well.Contestants may also be ranked in various other ways as desired by thegaming establishment or contest operator.

It is noted that step 324 may occur for each round of the secondarycontest after step 316 because, if posted or otherwise published duringthe secondary contest, the rankings allow contestants to determine theirstanding in the secondary contest. In addition, the rankings allow thewinning contestants of the secondary contest to be determined at the endof the secondary contest.

At a step 328, the one or more winning contestants, as determined bytheir rankings, of the secondary contest are awarded one or more prizes.Typically the prize will be money, however, it is contemplated thatgoods or services may be prizes as well. In one or more embodiments, thecontestant having or contestants sharing the highest rank will be awarda prize. In some embodiments, contestants having high rankings, but notthe highest ranking, will also be awarded prizes such as described abovewith regard to step 228 of FIG. 2. In one embodiment, the top 10 orother number of ranks will be awarded a prize with higher rankingstypically being awarded higher prizes. The following table illustratesan example of prizes that may be awarded according to contestant rank.Of course, the number of ranks and the size and type of prizes maydiffer as desired.

RANK PRIZE 1^(st) PLACE $10,000  2^(nd) PLACE $6,000 3^(rd) PLACE $5,0004^(th) PLACE $4,000 5^(th) PLACE $3,000 6^(th) PLACE $2,500 7^(th) PLACE$1,500 8^(th) PLACE $1,000 9^(th) PLACE $1,000 10^(th) PLACE  $1,000

Prizes may be paid to contestants sharing the same rank in various ways.In one embodiment, the contestants may divide the prize for a particularrank equally or in any other way. This may be undesirable in somecircumstances however because it may lead to a situation where higherranking contestants actually win less than lower ranking contestants.For example, in the table above, if two contestants obtain a first placeranking and one contestant obtains second, the second place contestantwill win more than the first place contestants after the first placeprize of $10,000 is divided into two equal portions. Thus, in one ormore embodiments, prizes may be aggregated prior to dividing thembetween contestants having the same rank. For example, if twocontestants are tied for first place, the first and second place prizesmay be aggregated and then divided between the contestants. In the tableabove the prize would be $10,000+$6,000 or $16,000 to be divided betweenthe two contestants. The number of tied contestants determines how theprizes will be aggregated. In one embodiment, the number of tiedcontestants determines the number of prizes that will be aggregated. Forexample, X number of tied contestants will share an aggregate prizecomprising the prizes from X number of ranks. Typically these ranks willinclude the rank they are tied for and those immediately below. Toillustrate, four contestants tied for third place will share anaggregated prize comprising the prizes for third, fourth, fifth, andsixth place.

In addition to the above, the following sections disclose one possibleexample of how a football embodiment of the invention may be implementedat a gaming establishment. In the following, a set of instructions forthis embodiment provide an example method of operation for the contest.It is contemplated that these exemplary instructions, or instructionsaccording to other embodiments of the invention, may be provided tocontestants prior to their entry into the contest or again at anytimethereafter. The claims that follow are not limited to the following setof rules.

Cannery Resorts Football Contest Guaranteed $125,000 in Prize Money

1. $25 ONE TIME ENTRY FEE (THREE ENTRIES PER PERSON MAX) ENTRIESACCEPTED DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS. 9:00 AM-9:00 PM.

2. A VALID ID MUST BE PRESENTED AT SIGN UP. (DRIVERS LICENSE, STATE ID,MILITARY ID OR PASSPORT).

3. WHEN COLLECTING CASH PRIZES, BOTH SS# AND A VALID ID (MATCHING THESIGN UP INFORMATION) MUST BE PRESENTED.

4. EARLY BIRD SPECIAL—SIGN UP BY 8-31-08. BUY TWO ENTRIES GET ONE FREE(THREE ENTRIES FOR $50).

5. IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO JOIN! AN ENTRANT MAY SIGN UP ANY TIME (DURINGREGULAR BUSINESS HOURS) FOR THE FIRST 17 WEEKS OF THE NFL REGULAR SEASON(EXCLUDING SUNDAYS).

6. IN THE EVENT THAT AN ENTRANT IS FOUND TO HAVE MORE THAN THREEENTRIES, THAT ENTRANT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE DECLARED INELIGIBLE AND ISNOT ENTITLED TO CASH PRIZES OR REFUNDS OF ENTRY FEES.

7. ALL REGISTRATION FEES AND CASH PRIZES ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE ANDNON-REFUNDABLE.

8. ALL ENTRANT'S MUST BE AT LEAST 21 YEARS OF AGE.

9. EMPLOYEES OF THE CANNERY RESORTS CASINOS AND ITS AFFILIATE COMPANIESAND THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILIES ARE INELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THEFOOTBALL CONTEST.

10. THE CANNERY RESORTS CASINOS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR CANCELTHIS CONTEST AT ANY TIME AND EXCLUDE ANY INDIVIDUALS FROM PARTICIPATINGIN MANAGEMENT'S SOLE AND ABSOLUTE DISCRETION.

11. SELECTIONS FOR THE WEEK MUST BE TURNED IN BY SUNDAY AT 10:00 AM.(EARLY TURN IN IS SUGGESTED TO AVOID MISSING THE 10:00 AM DEADLINE).

12. THE FOOTBALL CONTEST WILL USE NFL PLAYERS FROM SUNDAY AND MONDAYSGAMES. EXCEPTION—SATURDAY & SUNDAY GAMES WILL BE USED DURING THE PLAYOFFCONTEST (i.e. SECONDARY CONTEST). THE OFFICIAL STATS WILL BE OBTAINEDFROM NFL.COM AND WILL BE USED FOR ALL GRADING PURPOSES FOR THE CANNERYRESORTS FOOTBALL CONTEST.

13. SHOULD DISRUPTIONS OR CANCELLATIONS OCCUR DURING THE NFL'S REGULARSEASON, THE CANNERY RESORTS CASINOS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SUBSTITUTECOLLEGIATE PLAYERS. IF THIS OCCURS, MANAGEMENT MAY USE SATURDAY'S GAMESAND THEIR POST TIMES FOR CARD SUBMISSIONS.

14. EACH ENTRANT WILL BE ASSIGNED A UNIQUE NUMBER FOR EACH OF THEIRENTRIES (UP TO THREE MAX). PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED BASED ON THE ENTRANT'SSELECTIONS OF FOOTBALL PROPOSITIONS LISTED ON THE WEEKLY CONTEST CARD.

15. IT IS THE ENTRANT'S SOLE RESPONSIBILITY TO CORRECTLY FILL OUT EACHCONTEST CARD PROPERLY. THE ENTRANT WILL THEN RECEIVE A COMPUTERGENERATED CONTEST TICKET FOR THAT WEEK'S SELECTIONS. IT IS THE ENTRANT'SRESPONSIBILITY TO VERIFY THE CONTEST NUMBER, NAME ON THE TICKET ANDSELECTIONS MADE BEFORE LEAVING THE WINDOW. ONCE THE SELECTIONS HAVE BEENMADE, NO CHANGES WILL BE ALLOWED. ONLY SELECTIONS ON THE COMPUTERGENERATED CONTEST TICKET WILL BE VALID FOR GRADING WINS AND LOSSES.

16. IN THE EVENT AN ENTRANT PLAYS A WRONG CONTESTANT NUMBER, THATENTRANT WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR CASH PRIZES FOR THE WEEK AND THEIRSELECTIONS WILL BE VOID FOR THE WEEK.

17. CONTEST CARDS FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK'S GAMES WILL BE AVAILABLE EACHTHURSDAY. A COMPLETE LIST OF STANDINGS/RANKINGS WILL BE AVAILABLE EACHWEDNESDAY AT NOON. PAYMENT OF WEEKLY CASH PRIZES WILL BEGIN AT NOON ONTHE THURSDAY FOLLOWING THAT WEEK'S GAMES. PLAYOFF CASH PRIZES WILL BESETTLED ON THURSDAY AT NOON AFTER THE NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES.

18. PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONTEST CONSTITUTES THE ENTRANT'S AGREEMENT TOABIDE BY THE RULES OF THIS CONTEST. ANY AND ALL APPLICABLE TAXES ANDFEES RELATING TO THE CONTEST ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ENTRANT.

19. ADDED BONUS—THE TOP 50 CONTEST ENTRANTS WHO HAVE THE HIGHESTACCUMULATED TOTAL POINTS OVER THE LENGTH OF THE 17 WEEK CONTEST, AND WHOHAVE NOT WON A WEEKLY ROUND OF THE CONTEST, WILL RECEIVE A “WILD CARD”BIRTH INTO THE PLAYOFF CONTEST.

How to Play

1. THE FOOTBALL CONTEST WILL USE THE NFL'S FIRST 17 WEEKS OF THE REGULARSEASON GAMES IN DETERMINING WHO WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFF CONTEST. THEPLAYOFF CONTEST WILL USE THE NFL'S PLAYOFF GAMES TO DETERMINE THEFOOTBALL CONTEST CHAMPION.

2. THERE WILL BE 12 HEAD TO HEAD PLAYER MATCHUPS EACH WEEK (NFL PLAYERVS NFL PLAYER). THE ENTRANT MUST MAKE A SELECTION ON ALL 12 MATCHUPS.THE HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUP WINNER WILL RECEIVE ONE POINT, THAT POINT ISDETERMINED BY MOST POINTS SCORED USING THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA.

NOTE-FOR SCORING PURPOSES ENTRANT WILL RECEIVE 1 POINT FOR EACH OFFICIALRUSHING OR RECEIVING YARD GAINED BY HIS/HER SELECTIONS MADE ON THEWEEKLY CONTEST CARD. EXAMPLE: A RUNNING BACK GAINS 38 RECEIVING YARDSAND 79 RUSHING YARDS. ENTRANT WILL RECEIVE 38PT5+79PT5=117 TOTAL POINTS.

Running Backs=RB

TOTAL RUSHING YARDS FROM SCRIMMAGE+RECEIVING YARDS+NUMBER OFRECEPTIONS+TOUCHDOWNS SCORED (6 PTS)+TOUCHDOWNS THROWN (6 PTS). PASSINGYARDS, NUMBER OF THROWN COMPLETIONS, KICK/PUNT RETURN TD'S AND YARDSWILL NOT BE COUNTED IN RB'S TOTALS.

Receivers=R

TOTAL RECEIVING YARDS+RUSHING YARDS FROM SCRIMMAGE+NUMBER OFRECEPTIONS+TOUCHDOWNS SCORED (6 PTS)+TOUCHDOWNS THROWN (6 PTS). PASSINGYARDS, NUMBER OF THROWN COMPLETIONS, KICK/PUNT RETURN TD'S AND YARDSWILL NOT BE COUNTED IN WR'S TOTALS.

Kickers=K

TOTAL YARDS OF MADE FIELD GOALS-!-FG'S MADE (3 PTS)+EXTRA POINT MADE (1PT)+TOUCHDOWNS SCORED (6 PTS)+TOUCH DOWN THROWN (6 PTS). PASSING YARDS,RUSHING YARDS, SPECIAL TEAM YARDS, NUMBER OF THROWN COMPLETIONS ORRECEPTIONS WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE KICKERS TOTAL.

Quarter Backs=QB

TOTAL GROSS PASSING YARDS+NUMBER OF COMPLETIONS+TOUCH DOWNS SCORED (6PTS)+TOUCHDOWNS THROWN (6 PTS). NUMBER OF RECEPTIONS, RECEIVING YARDS ORRUSHING YARDS WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN QB'S TOTAL.

NOTE: NO TWO POINT CONVERSION STATS WILL APPLY TO ANY OF THE POINTTOTALS. THE FOOTBALL CONTEST WILL USE ALL NFL.COM OFFICIAL STATS TODETERMINE ALL POINT TOTALS FOR CATEGORIES USED.

IN THE EVENT A HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUP TIES, BOTH SIDES WILL RECEIVE APOINT.

BOTH PLAYERS IN THE HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUP MUST HAVE PLAYED IN AT LEASTONE TIMED PLAY IN THE GAME. IN THE EVENT ONE OR BOTH PLAYERS DO NOT MEETTHESE CRITERIA, BOTH SIDES WILL RECEIVE A POINT.

Prize Funds Weekly Prize Fund

$5,000 WILL BE THE WEEKLY PRIZE FUND FOR THE FIRST 17 WEEKS OF THE NFLREGULAR SEASON. THE ENTRANT PICKING THE MOST WINNERS THAT WEEK WILL WINTHE WEEKLY PRIZE. IN CASE OF TIES FOR MOST WINNERS THE WEEKLY PRIZEMONEY WILL BE DIVIDED AMONG ALL TIED ENTRANTS. THERE ARE NO TIEBREAKERS.ALL CASH PRIZE WINNERS (DURING THE 17 WEEKS) WILL BE CONSIDERED CONTESTROYALTY AND ONLY CASH PRIZE WINNERS WILL BE QUALIFIED TO ENTER INTO THEPLAYOFF CONTEST. NOTE EXCEPTION—SEE RULE 19.

WEEKLY CASH WINNERS WILL ONLY RECEIVE ONE ENTRY INTO THE PLAYOFFCONTEST. REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY CASH AWARDS AN ENTRANT WINS DURING THEFIRST 17 WEEKS OF THE CONTEST. NO ENTRANT WILL HAVE TWO OR MORE ENTRIESINTO THE PLAYOFF CONTEST.

End of Regular Season Prize Fund

$5,000 WILL BE THE END OF REGULAR SEASON PRIZE FUND. THE ENTRANT WITHTHE MOST CUMULATIVE WINNERS DURING THE 17 WEEK REGULAR SEASON WILL BETHE WINNER OF THE $5,000 PRIZE. IN CASE OF TIES FOR THE END OF REGULARSEASON PRIZE, THE $5,000 WILL BE DIVIDED BETWEEN ALL FIRST PLACE END OFREGULAR SEASON WINNERS.

Playoff Prize Fund

THE PLAYOFF CONTEST WILL USE THE CUMULATIVE TOTAL OF THE CORRECTSELECTIONS MADE (BY QUALIFIED ENTRANTS—SEE ABOVE) DURING THE NFLPLAYOFFS ENDING WITH THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS. THERE WILL BE NOWEEKLY CASH PRIZES DURING THE PLAYOFF CONTEST. ALL PAYOUTS AREAGGREGATE. EXAMPLE: IF TWO ENTRANTS TIE FOR FIRST PLACE THEY WILL SPLITFIRST AND SECOND PLACE MONEY.

1^(st) PLACE $10,000  2^(nd) PLACE $6,000 3^(rd) PLACE $5,000 4^(th)PLACE $4,000 5^(th) PLACE $3,000 6^(th) PLACE $2,500 7^(th) PLACE $1,5008^(th) PLACE $1,000 9^(th) PLACE $1,000 10^(th) PLACE  $1,000

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it willbe apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many moreembodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scopeof this invention. In addition, the various features, elements, andembodiments described herein may be claimed or combined in anycombination or arrangement.

1. A method for a sports wagering contest comprising: providing aprimary contest having one or more primary rounds, the one or moreprimary rounds comprising: setting up one or more player match-ups bypresenting at least two players for player versus player comparison;presenting the one or more player match-ups to one or more contestantsto allow the one or more contestants to make one or more playerselections; receiving the one or more player selections from the one ormore contestants; determining which of the one or more player selectionsare winning player selections based on the achievements of the at leasttwo players; ranking the one or more contestants from highest to lowestbased on the number of winning player selections received from the oneor more contestants during at least one of the one or more rounds; andawarding a prize to one or more of the one or more contestants having ahighest ranking in the at least one of the one or more rounds; andproviding a secondary contest having one or more secondary rounds, theone or more secondary rounds comprising: setting up one or more playermatch-ups by presenting at least two players for player versus playercomparison; presenting the one or more player match-ups to one or morecontestants to allow the one or more contestants to make one or moreplayer selections; receiving the one or more player selections from theone or more contestants; and determining which of the one or more playerselections are winning player selections based on the achievements ofthe at least two players; qualifying one or more of the one or morecontestants for the secondary contest; ranking the one or more of theone or more contestants in the secondary contest from highest to lowestbased on the number of winning player selections received from the oneor more contestants during the secondary contest; and awarding asecondary contest prize to one or more of the one or more contestantshaving a highest ranking in the secondary contest.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising collecting an entry fee from the one or morecontestants to allow the one or more contestants to enter the primarycontest.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more playermatch-ups are set up by a gaming establishment without a draft by theone or more contestants.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprisingproviding one or more contest cards, wherein the one or more playermatch-ups are presented on one or more contest cards.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more player match-ups in the one or moreprimary rounds are set up using one or more players from the regularseason of a sport.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or moreplayer match-ups in the one or more secondary rounds are set up usingone or more players from the post season of a sport.
 7. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising awarding an end of contest prize to one ormore of the one or more contestants having the highest total number ofwinning player selections at the end of the primary contest.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising aggregating the secondary contestprize among one or more of the one or more contestants having thehighest ranking in the secondary contest prior to awarding the secondarycontest prize.
 9. A method for a sports wagering contest comprising:collecting an entry fee from one or more contestants to allow the one ormore contestants to participate in the sports wagering contest; andproviding one or more rounds comprising: setting up one or more playermatch-ups by presenting at least two players from one or more upcomingsporting events for comparison; presenting the one or more playermatch-ups to the one or more contestants to allow the one or morecontestants to make one or more player selections; receiving the one ormore player selections from the one or more contestants; determiningwhich of the one or more player selections are winning player selectionsbased on the achievements of the at least two players; ranking the oneor more contestants based on the number of winning player selectionsreceived from the one or more contestants during at least one of the oneor more rounds; and awarding a prize to one or more of the one or morecontestants having achieved a highest ranking in at least one of the oneor more rounds.
 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising awarding anend of contest prize to one or more of the one or more contestantshaving the highest total number of winning player selections at the endof the sports wagering contest.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein theone or more upcoming sporting events are one or more regular seasonfootball games;
 12. The method of claim 9 further comprising providingone or more contest cards, wherein the one or more player selections arereceived on the one or more contest cards.
 13. The method of claim 9,wherein the one or more contestants are ranked from highest to lowestbased on the number of winning player selections with the one or morecontestants having more winning player selections being ranked higherthan the one or more contestants having less winning player selections.14. A method for a sports wagering secondary contest comprising:qualifying one or more contestants for the secondary contest; providingone or more rounds comprising: setting up one or more player match-upsby presenting at least two players from one or more upcoming sportingevents for comparison; presenting the one or more player match-ups tothe one or more contestants to allow the one or more contestants to makeone or more player selections; receiving the one or more playerselections from the one or more contestants; and determining which ofthe one or more player selections are winning player selections based onthe achievements of the at least two players; ranking the one or morecontestants based on the number of winning player selections receivedfrom the one or more contestants during the secondary contest; andawarding a prize to one or more of the one or more contestants havingachieved a highest ranking in the secondary contest.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the one or more upcoming sporting events are one ormore post season football games;
 16. The method of claim 14 furthercomprising providing one or more contest cards, wherein the one or moreplayer selections are received on the one or more contest cards.
 17. Themethod of claim 14 further comprising aggregating the prize among theone or more of the one or more contestants having achieved the highestranking in the secondary contest prior to awarding the prize.
 18. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the one or more contestants are qualifiedfor the secondary contest by winning at least one round of a primarycontest.
 19. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more contestantsare qualified for the secondary contest if the one or more contestantshave a primary contest ranking of at least a predetermined rank, and ifthe one or more contestants have not won any rounds of the primarycontest.
 20. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more contestantsare ranked from highest to lowest based on the number of winning playerselections with the one or more contestants having more winning playerselections being ranked higher than the one or more contestants havingless winning player selections.